Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projectile, and in particular a lead-free projectile for use in a rimfire cartridge, a rimfire ammunition including the same, and a method of manufacturing the projectile.
Description of Related Art
Projectiles, including bullets, shots, and pellets are manufactured using a variety of materials, including metals. Many such materials contain or include lead. However, the use of lead has decreased due to well-documented environmental impacts, and the use of lead-based ammunition has been increasingly regulated in many states and countries. New, more-restrictive lead bans have placed an emphasis on developing lead-free projectiles and ammunition that represent cost effective alternatives as compared to those that are presently available. These developments have led to manufacturers seeking alternative materials to replace lead-based projectiles.
Generally, a projectile is fired from a cartridge containing a priming compound. In operation, the priming compound sparks to ignite the gunpowder. Rimfire cartridges contain this priming compound in the rim of the cartridge, and the firing pin hits the rim of the cartridge to spark the priming compound. In contrast, centerfire cartridges oftentimes include a circular primer in the center of the base of the cartridge. The firing pin, in this case, hits the center primer, as opposed to the rim of the cartridge, to spark the priming compound to ignite the gunpowder.
Lead-free centerfire ammunition has been available and in use for many years. However, current lead-free rimfire ammunition, while in existence, is either less effective or too expensive to be a reasonable alternative to conventional lead rimfire ammunition. The lack of effective and affordable lead-free rimfire ammunition leads to lead-free rimfire ammunition being too costly to be a reasonable option in places where lead is banned.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a lead-free, rimfire projectile that is both cost effective to produce and highly accurate to use.